- Chargesheet names Rohit Pawar and associates under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002
- ED provisionally attached assets worth over Rs 50 crore linked to Baramati Agro and Kannad SSK
- Investigation began after 2019 FIR alleging MSCB officials sold sugar factories at undervalued prices
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a supplementary chargesheet against NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar in the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSCB) scam case. The chargesheet, filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, names Mr Pawar along with his associates. The court is yet to take cognizance of the document.
This development comes months after the ED provisionally attached assets worth over Rs 50 crore belonging to Mr Pawar's company, Baramati Agro.
The agency said these assets - which include land in Kannad (Aurangabad), a sugar mill, machinery, and buildings - were acquired through an irregular auction process linked to the defunct Kannad Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Ltd (Kannad SSK).
The ED alleged the assets are "proceeds of crime" and that Baramati Agro benefited from undervalued auctions enabled by violations of standard procedures. The investigation began after a 2019 FIR filed by the Mumbai Police's Economic Offences Wing, which alleged that MSCB officials and directors had sold several cooperative sugar factories to private entities and relatives at throwaway prices, sidestepping established norms.
The agency has so far attached properties worth Rs 121.47 crore in the case.
Rohit Pawar Responds
Responding to the development, Mr Pawar issued a public statement suggesting that the ED's action was politically motivated. Without naming anyone, he hinted at pressure from certain quarters.
"Everyone knows that the action taken against me by the ED was because I didn't listen to certain people - there's no need to elaborate further," Mr Pawar said in a post.
He said officers of the Enforcement Directorate were merely following orders and that now, with the chargesheet filed, the matter has shifted to the judiciary.
"The ball is now in the judiciary's court, a decision we've long been waiting for. I have full faith in the judiciary, and I believe the truth will come out - the milk will be separated from water."
Mr Pawar maintained that he is prepared for any struggle required to uphold his beliefs, invoking Maharashtra's tradition of resistance.
"Maharashtra has never given space to subservience or betrayal - it has always embraced struggle. That is our history."
